The present invention relates to a one-piece C-arm for X-ray diagnostic equipment and a method for making the same, and specifically to a seamless C-arm which is formed in a continuous curved piece to obviate the need for attaching two or more pieces together.
The use of "C-arms" for X-ray and other diagnostic equipment in surgical and other diagnostic procedures is well known in the medical arts. The mounting is referred to a C-arm due to the C-shape of the support frame which holds the diagnostic equipment in place. In use, an X-ray collimator or some other diagnostic device is mounted at one end of the frame. An image receptor is located on the other end so that the collimator and receptor are exactly opposite of each other.
There are two primary advantages to the C-shape of the support frame. First, the C-shape allows the diagnostic equipment to travel the length of the patient without interfering with the availability of the patient's body to medical personnel standing on the opposite side of the patient from the diagnostic equipment. Thus, a surgeon can operate on a patient while the C-arm travels up and down the body, ensuring that devices, such as angioplasty balloons, etc., are properly positioned during a procedure. A second advantage of the C-arm is that the arm can be rotated so that the collimator and the receptor are either nearly in the same vertical plane, nearly in the same horizontal plane, or somewhere in between. This rotation allows the radiologist or technician to take X-rays of the patient's body at an optimal angle for the anatomical structure being imaged. When a given patient is finished, the C-arm can be rotated to it original position, ready for the next patient.
One drawback of currently used C-arms is that they are usually formed of several pieces attached together in order to form tracks or channels which receive bearings or wheels to thereby allow the C-arms to rotate in the above described manner. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,046, (Siczek et al.) there is shown a C-arm, the frame of which is formed in two pieces. The inner portion of the C-arm is formed in the shape of a flattened arch and attached, through an adhesive or some other manner, to an outer portion. Such a two piece C-arm frame is time consuming to fabricate and join and does not have the strength of a frame formed from a single, integral piece of material.
Another disadvantage of the C-arms of the prior art is that the C-arm is exposed to environmental contaminants. This comes about, for example, when C-arms are used in connection with surgical procedures, and the C-arm contacts bodily fluids, such as blood, or tissue being removed from a patient's body. With the current concern over tissue and fluid borne communicable diseases, it is desirable to keep the support arm free from contact with such contaminants.
In addition to contaminants from patients, the C-arm often encounters bacteria if used outside of the operating room. Such bacteria can be a serious threat to those undergoing surgery. Due to the size of the support arm, it is expensive and time consuming to thoroughly disinfect before each procedure.
Thus, a single piece C-arm formed to the desired shape would be desirable. Additionally, a C-arm which provides a support for a surgical drape/curtain or shield would also be advantageous to prevent contamination of the C-arm.